Nikon for a Noob!!

Hi everyone. im just starting out, and wanting to get myself a proper camera so i can get some proper shots and gradually float along into the world of photography... a freind reccomended a Nikon D50 SLR and at £395, im sure i cant go wrong.... anyone have one of these? any other cameras you might reccomend to a noob? ta
steff xx

Sounds good to me. I'm not sure there is such a thing as a good beginner digital SLR. They are all fairly complex, including the D50. It is a good value and a good camera. I recommend it over the new D40 which is intended to replace it.

Sounds good to me. I'm not sure there is such a thing as a good beginner digital SLR. They are all fairly complex, including the D50. It is a good value and a good camera. I recommend it over the new D40 which is intended to replace it.

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Couldn't have said it better.

My interest in photography really developed when my family travelled to alaska for three weeks, and all I had was a horrible, horrible digital point and shoot. I decided from then that I needed a quality camera, and the d50 is what I could afford at the time. Really having no photographic experience when i bought the d50, it was a great place to start learning.

Before jumping on the Canon or Nikon bandwagon, check out Pentax's latest offering, the K100D. It has an anti shake mechanism built into the body, so it will work with all lenses, giving you a 1.5 - 2 stop advantage over a D50 with equivalent lens. The kit lens is also nicer. It should be only slightly more expensive than the Nikon. Check my thread in this forum on the subject.

Thanks for the feedback guys, i had a look at the K100D, it looks and sounds great, although at nearly £500, it might be a bit of a slap in the face to my purse!!! ill have to see how much money i get for my birthday!!!
steff xx

The D50, K100d or Konica-Minolta 5d can be had for around £350-£400 if you shop around. The Canon 350d slightly more expensive but still very reasonable. All are very good cameras.

P.s. when I say shop around, I don't mean dodgy internet scams either, I mean reputable retailers. Maybe even Jessops, though I wouldn't buy a camera from them without a gun to my head. But point is you shouldn't be paying £500 for any of those cameras; any of them with an 18-55mm (or similar) lens should set you back £450 at most. For example Park Cameras in Sussex sells the D50 with lens for £400, and SRS Microsystems of Watford sell the K100d with lens for £350. Anyone who asks £500 for either is being cheeky.